


Little Things Do Make A Big Difference After All...

by littleghostkitten



Series: Petstuck Dorks [1]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Dave Strider/Dirk Strider (Unrelated), Equius, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Karkat - Freeform, M/M, Petstuck, Rose Lalonde/Roxy Lalonde (Unrelated), So some of the trolls are human, Such as Vriska, and Kanaya, aradia - Freeform, terezi - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-06
Updated: 2016-12-03
Packaged: 2018-04-03 02:10:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4082674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littleghostkitten/pseuds/littleghostkitten
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Karkat Vantas is trying to make his way through life, just trying to get by. He has his rich boyfriend; John, lives on a shit apartment, and is just trying to get through school. On his was along towards college (thankfully towards end) his car happens to run out of gas halfway through the trip. After his raged storm, he happens to notice a scrap of fur lying on the side of the road. But maybe, this scrap of fur happens to be more than what it seems...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Hairball on the Highway

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and thank you for taking time to click onto this story! I know I have another one (Whispers in the Dark) but I've seem to run out of ideas for it at the time being. On Cherubplay, I've been having many RP responses to Petstuck and this just clicked to me. So, enjoy!

Finally...

The air never smelled clearer through her tiny nose, the ground never felt better on her paw pads, she never felt cleaner than with the wind currently flowing through her soft, grey fur. Her name is Nepeta, or well known as "Little Terror" in that hell shop. The hellish pet store she had just escaped was now slowly moving far behind as she ran, huffing and puffing to sanctuary. To paradise! Her wide olive eyes stared straight ahead as she rushed past strangers rushing up and down the streets for work or home, not stopping for anything. Nepeta was quite tiny and looking to the humans made her nervous of their presence. After what she had been through, she couldn't trust anyone. There wasn't a single soul the girl wouldn't dare to scratch at even the slightest glance. There was a yowl from behind her, a yowl known all too well. It was the pet store clerk that had made her caged up with the dogs in the back, the one who fed her slob and would constantly scold her for scaring customers. Her blue tail fluffed up with fear as she ran faster than ever before, shivering like a leaf in the wind.  
Nepeta had to hold back her screams of terror and keep moving to avoid being caught, running down alley ways and hiding around corners. The voice would always grow louder or die down, but this time it came to a stop. There was complete silence... She coughed and hacked, curled up on the dirty ground and stared at the reflection beaming from a pool of water. It was herself. She was an unpleasant sight to see at this point in time... On her head were two horns, orange and cat like with her curled, messy, short black hair. It curled around her fuzzy, puffed out cheeks that were speckled with black dots. To a human, well known as freckles but Nepeta had a special thing about them. She wouldn't think freckles, she would think stardust. Freckles were like stars in the sky, scattered about and beautiful. The stardust was all around on her fuzzy, grey body. Her body was dirty and in desperate need for cleansing. Her eyes were a bright olive with an orange tint to it. Her mouth was in a curled cat smile, two kitten like fangs poking on out. If only the mouth would smile...

No, this wasn't a time for fun. This was a time for fear. It was scattered all through her body, making her mess with her paws as she stared down to her hind paws. They twitched nervously, tired from running. No, she had to keep going. After a small break she got back up and kept moving, deciding it was time to leave the alleys behind and head on the road. Thank goodness she was toward the city's edge or else she would have collapsed form exhaustion. She began making her way around through the streets, heading for the highway. She needed to find paradise. Paradise, was a thing Nepeta had heard about many times before. It was a large area filled with tall greens and running rivers, safe and secure in her opinion.  
As she continued on her way, the sun wasn't helping her state. It burned her body and made her weary, delusional, distant with reality. Her paw pads were slowly becoming sore and blistered, leaving quite the wake of olive. She was a troll after all...most had considered them to be pets, reasoning why she was in a pet store. There was more than olive and the higher the blood, the more valuable they happened to be. Some even were known as Seadwellers, ones who had fins with their ears, gills to breath under water, and a tail like a fish of any kind. They were more valuable than anything. The lower on the scale, the more likely you were to end up dead and forgotten. Luckily, there were petitions going around to end it and start seeing trolls like humans. Normal. Heh, that would be a dream...

After what seemed like an hour had passed by, Nepeta finally collapsed on her side. She felt the gravel underneath her paws and stared down at the pool of blood beneath her. She coughed and squeaked out for help, anyone to come and give her water. It was pitiful and barely a whisper came out. She felt herself slipping away from all truth, stretching out to keep going. Her arm fell with a tiny plop to the side, her voice hoarse and raspy. There was no hope now... She closed her eyes and slowly accepted her fate for death. At least, there would be paradise above. She could live a better life and not have to deal with humans anymore. And with that thought, she fell into her slumber with only that on her mind...

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Karkat Vantas was just like any other 20 year old, just trying to make through life without any difficulties. That was going to be a bit difficult to get through though considering most of his life had been considered to be hell in his opinion. There wasn't all bad things of course, he had his rich boyfriend John. It was a fucking mystery as to why he had considered talking to his past, raggedy self back in High School but it turned out that through the arguments and lame comebacks they had actually fancied one another. Another good thing was that he was finally getting through college without creating a murder scene and having his cousin and brother getting on his ass about it. Sure, they did get on his ass about things before but now that things were winding down to an end he began to enjoy the silence they gave him. Hell, even one of the luckier things is that rich boy's father let them both live in an apartment off campus for no rent.  
Yet again, he was still trying to get by. If it wasn't trying to figure out the next meal to have, worrying about what to do after college, or dealing with his brother it was mostly John's troll rights talks. Why did he even care so much?! They didn't own any trolls, sure not that John would even be fine with owning one. He preferred to see them as people more than pets, which you didn't really even care about.

As he went down the road, he kept mumbling to something or someone in the air. Possibly talking to himself? Nope, he happened to be whispering to his car. He had his hand rested on the dashboard with a nervous look on his face. He HAD to make it to class, he just HAD to if he wanted to get on with his life.

"Come on, make it to class. Please just keep going then we can fill you up..." He whispered quietly and bit his lip nervously. Then the car gave its final breath, beginning to slow down. Karkat huffed and moved it over to side of the road, getting out and then throwing one of the biggest fits anyone had ever seen. His cheeks were tinted red as he screamed to the hunk of junk before him.  
"Fucking, piece of shit, worthless, good for nothing, junk fuck!" He shouted and kicked the wheel of his car. He huffed and looked into the side mirror at his own refection. He had light brown freckles spotting his caramel colored face. His dark brown hair was unkempt and looked like he literally just got out of bed. He saw his brown eyes and almost got close to red at this point. In those eyes were a few rage filled tears which he quickly wiped away with his dark grey sweater. After a bit of a fit he finally pulled out his phone and dialed up the only person who he knew to help him. One ring...two rings...

-Click-

"Hey...I got stuck-- NO IT WAS *NOT* MY FUCKING FAULT! I ran out of gas and it died on me...okay..." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah, okay maybe it was my fault...UGH! Listen just get your a--" He stopped and looked over to the side of the road, staring down at a grey and black lump in the road. He felt a lump in his throat from noticing two orange horns stick out. Don't let it be what he thought it was, PLEASE don't let it be what he thought it was... "Uh, you might want to get over here soon. Bring gas...and maybe some food too. Just shut up and bring the damn food! You're gonna have a shit fit if I just ignored what I think I'm seeing." He hung up after a farewell and instantly made his way over towards the car once again. He grabbed a water bottle from inside and went back towards the lump, gulping nervously.  
The 5'2 boy leaned down and moved the black hair away from its face. Oh shit. It WAS what he thought it was. Karkat cursed silently and set the water bottle down, putting water in the cap and setting it nearby the troll. Oh gods, please don't let it be dead. He rested a hand on its side and felt movement, gasping silently. Maybe there was hope for the tiny thing.

"Hey, wake up." He gave her a light shake, seeing the two olive eyes slowly flutter open. She looked horrible...The moment her eyes opened she got to her paws and back away slowly. She yelped at the pressure put on her paws and stared at him with fear in her eyes. The sight broke his heart almost instantly, reaching out to pet her head. "Shhh, it's okay. Listen, I'm not going to hurt you. Please just drink this." He nudged the water towards her, seeing the confusion on her face.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Nepeta woke up with a groan, rubbing her eyes from the bright sunlight. She looked up to see someone towering over her with a concerned look on his face. She squeaked and backed away instantly. She let out a yelp at the pain from her paws, crouching down low to the ground to stop the pain. The sight of him scared her, listening to his words made things so risky. He pushed forward a cap full of fresh water for her, Nepeta wondering if it was a trick to hurt her. She whimpered and shivered, wondering if he was going to take her back to hell.

"It's okay, don't worry!" He tried to make things better, then he seemed to remember something because he instantly hushed his voice. He got it to a low volume. "I mean, it's okay. Here, it's good water." He took a drink from the bottle and waited for her to move. She took a few weary steps over before instantly lapping up the water. Her shivering had stopped after a bit and she rested, sitting down and fixing the fur on her body. When he reached out to touch her, she screamed and fell backwards with blood smearing the walk way. He bit his lip and took off his sweater, revealing a black wife beater underneath. He ripped up the sweater and began (trying) to wrap up her paws. She hissed and went backwards again, shaking like a leaf.  
Now, trolls were supposed to be highly intelligent and know so many words but Nepeta was a bit different. She didn't know much and her sentences were often short but she knew enough to get by.

"P-Please...no more..." She cried out weakly, shaking her head at him with a horrified look on her face. "D-Don't wanna go..." She coughed and cowered under her paws. He pulled her close and began wrapping up her paws anyways. She tried to get away and scratch him but he didn't seem to care. After a bit he had wrapped up her paws and set her down once again.

"I won't take you back. Hell, I don't even know where you came from..." He sat down at this point and sighed, noting her form. How long had it been since she had last eaten anything? This was not good, in her state she could die any second. "Listen, my boyfriend will be here with some chicken soon. It's really good..." He tried to give her reassuring look, making Nepeta calming down a bit. She sat down and moved the wrapping, licking the blood from her wounds. "You know, he doesn't like the places you come from. He's trying to get those shut down so others won't have to be hurt either." He began refilling the cap every time she drank, giving a small smile to her to show he was nice. After a bit she looked over to her pathway that was marked with blood.

"Th-There...N-Not nice, really scary man..." She whimpered and looked to the stranger with a small smile. At least he had helped at her weakest hour, there wasn't much of that anymore... "N-Need to get Paradise!" She yelped out suddenly and shocked him, making him reach out once again.

"Where's Paradise?" He asked quietly, Nepeta letting him run a hand through her hair.

"D-Don't know...must find..." She shrugged and used her blood to draw a picture. The blood being smeared seemed to make him nervous as he quickly tried to fix the make shift bandages. There was trees, rivers, and a few hills. He shook his head with a sad smile on his face. Looks like he didn't even know where Paradise was...oh well, at least he was doing the best he could to fix her up. After a bit she sighed and felt wobbly, leaning on her side at this point. He brought his hand out and tried to sit her up, making sure she stayed awake. "W-Why stop and help?" She squeaked out, her eyes half lidded at this point.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Shit, he needed John to get here soon. He was not sure how much longer this girl was going to last and something about this girl made him fear for if she died. Best to keep her alive and distracted. If she stayed too concentrated on how her body was at the moment...no time to think about that! He rubbed her furry cheek, enjoying the black speckles all across her face. Hah, guess humans aren't the only ones to have marks. He looked over to the direction pointed out, frowning at whoever she was talking about. He silently that this bad man burned in hell...  
"Why did I help?" He looked to her and sighed, moving her a bit closer so she could relax on his leg. She put most of her weight onto him, her breath shallow and shaky. Oh gods, please don't let her go now. 

"Well, picking up a dying troll wasn't really in the plan book today. My car broke down and when I saw you...I just..." There was no way to explain how you felt when you saw her but she looked at you with a small smile. She knew exactly what the silence meant and she looked thankful. After what seemed about her ninth lick of water, he couldn't help but chuckle. "You sure are a thirsty one aren't you?" He sighed and refilled the cap, only to have it knocked over by her giant blue tail. Looking to her with fear, it sudden changed to confusion. She was staring off to another car that was slowly down near his. Oh, John must be here...

"H-Hide!" She hissed to him and began looking for a safe spot, backing up.

"Sweetheart, it's fine! It's just John, the guy I told you about. He had chicken, or at least...he should have I think." He looked over once again but then let out a quiet yelp as something clutched tightly onto him. Looking down, he noticed a little lump under his beater. He tried hard not to laugh at the sight, her fur brushing on his bare skin and moving tail certainly weren't helping. He slowly grabbed the bottle and began bringing out the tiny girl into the light, cradling her in his arms. Such a tiny thing...  
Now it was time to face the hard part. It didn't take too long for John to notice the hairball in his arms and immediately rush to Karkat's side with a look of mixed emotions. Anger and concern were surely noted, along with fear.  
John was a bit taller than Karkat, at least by three inches. He had short black hair and bright blue eyes that were perfectly framed behind his glasses. His lips that had been kissed so many times before had a silly little note to go with him, John happened to have a /bit/ of an overbite. Yet his looks weren't the biggest concern, it was more of how to calm John down. He rushed over in his giant blue sweater with a light blue Breath symbol on it, tan shorts making a fucking racket as they moved.

Karkat held the girl tighter and closed his eyes tightly.

Three...  
Two...  
One...

"Oh my god, Karkat did you hit a troll?!"

Here we go...


	2. Do You Trust Me?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a race against the clock and words to get Nepeta the attention she needs. Will Karkat make it in the nick of time, or will he be holding nothing more than what was once and could have been, a happy life?

"Oh my god, Karkat did you hit a troll?!" John's voice was sharp as he rushed over to Karkat's side, already having his hands outstretched to grab the thing away. Karkat took a step back and shook his head. God, couldn't he calm down for ONE fucking second? The tiny troll already seemed to be freaking out, squirming in his arms and sinking her claws in. It was hard not to yelp but he had to keep calm. Any sudden movements and she'd be running far away.

"No, I didn't hit her! I told you before, I ran out of gas. She was on the side of the road when you called and I'm pretty fucking glad she's still alive because other wise I'd be washing Dead Troll off my hands for weeks." Karkat hissed to John who had gave a buck-toothed frown. Karkat took a step forward and let John take a hold of her. He examined her paw pads with concern and tried to keep her awake as well. He was whispering sweetly to her and trying to get her to relax but it didn't seem to help. She whined and tried to move away, smearing olive on John's sweater. Karkat's eyes went wide as he was handed the troll over once again.

"What happened to her paw pads? Did she say where she came from?" He asked and pet her hair, Nepeta turning away and burying herself into Karkat's arms. Karkat sighed and held her close. This wasn't good...

"She said she came from over there." He pointed out a bit. "Something tells me she came from the city considering how far along those olive streaks go. Shit, okay did you bring what I asked?" He looked over to John before whispering so the girl couldn't hear. "I don't know how much longer she'll live. She was near death when I found her, we need to get her to a hospital or something. She kept talking about a...Paradise? Hell if I know what she's talking about...I think it might be the park. Listen, hurry with the car and I'll take her to the...V-E-T after words." Who knew if she knew what the vet was. Hopefully, she would just think it was some magical fucking land filled with freedom and greens. The tiny troll seemed to be looking up when he turned back to her, wondering how much she had heard before. He gave a small smile on to get a lazy nuzzle back which broke him.  
Karkat went over to the side of the road and sat down with her, John coming back and handing over last nights meal: Chicken Strips. He began breaking them down and feeding them to her, leaving the rest in the container. She gave a sniff and looked to him with an uncertain expression. Probably still a little shook up about all the recent events...  
"It's okay, don't worry this is a good thing to eat. It isn't like what you were fed, probably. Trust me." He ate a piece to show her it was fine, the troll following after and eating away. She was eating so fast and yet the hastiness was kind of adorable? He couldn't think much of it.

"Um, w-who you?" She asked a bit louder this time, Karkat sighing in relief. She sounded much better now. Yet, her speech didn't seem the best. He'd probably teach her more if he kept her, she was in desperate need of help. Yet, John's opinion would have to be brought into this...

"My name is Karkat, and you know him as John. What about you, what's your name? Can you tell me anything about where you came from besides this scary man?" He whispered sweetly and began brushing out her hair in his fingers. She gulped and rubbed her eyes that seemed...teary? Was she thankful for this? He couldn't tell but the tears made him cling tightly onto her.

"N-Nepeta. Bad place, t-too loud with animals!" She covered her ears and curled into a tight ball, the small chicken strip in her hand falling onto his leg. As he reached for the strip, something caught his eye. A small mark on her ear. Karkat tried to distract her again while checking on the strange mark, noting that it looked like a tattoo. He mumbled to himself about what the hell it was while John finished up with the car and sat down next to them, running a hand on Karkat's. He gave a look of concern, Karkat silently hoping he wasn't about to say what he thought...

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Nepeta purred quietly and ate away at the chicken, rubbing the tears out of her eyes. He was the nicest human she had met in her life, silently thanking him for all head had already done. Maybe the two could help her find Paradise? The chicken tasted so sweet in her mouth making the flavors pop out and come alive. This was the most amazing thing in her life... Karkat continued to smile down at her, moving her ears and running fingers through her hair. When he moved her hair, she could note him whispering, "What the hell?" Nepeta becoming curious as to what he saw. Before she could ask anything, John joined the two and Karkat turned his attention almost immediately towards to him. He gave a look of concern, John sighing and shaking his head.

"We can't keep her. Look, we'll help her out then set her free. You said she wanted to go to Paradise right? We'll take her there and she'll be fine--"

"Over my rotting corpse! She can't support herself out here John, trolls can't get well earned jobs you know that! I'm not letting her get injured again, she's gone through enough as it seems. Nepeta needs us more than anything by the looks of it..." Karkat sighed and moved his hand to her tiny paw, holding it. She was shocked at how warm Karkat actually happened to be. He was like a heater! She sat up with a few grunts and aches, poking her head in the container that held the chicken. Keeping her ears perked for the conversation, she began to strip the chicken herself.

"I know and I'm trying to change that!" John retorted, huffing and helping Nepeta out with the chicken. "I just...don't want to feel like we have a pet. Have you even tried to talk to her about that idea? What if she just wants to stay in her happy world? Karkat, you know you can't change her mind if she wants that." John sighed and Nepeta instantly perked up with a tiny peck of chicken on her cheek. She looked to Karkat and saw the sad look in his eyes...maybe he had grown attached to her already? It sure seemed like it. Her mind started racing to think of anything to make John change his mind. She had to help him.

"I stay!" She squeaked out, shocking the two. They turned to one another then back down, Karkat adjusting her so she face him directly. He put his hands pressed to her cheeks, rubbing the fur and making her smile.

"Nepeta, are you sure if this is what you want? Once you get better, we'll let you go if you want. I don't want you to be feeling forced about this." Nepeta nodded and looked to John with a smile. She wanted to stay. He got the message. Karkat sighed happily and slowly got up with John at his side, helping with the last strip of chicken. Nepeta nodded happily to him and began to eat away once again. Dang, this stuff was delicious!

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"So I'll take her to...you know where." Fuck, he really couldn't say that word, could he? Shit. He hadn't tried but her already knew it would be fucking hell if he tried to and she was getting a bit better already. Better not risk it though. John nodded in agreement and pressed his lips to Karkat's, making him have a genuine smile. John's cheeks tinted red as he pulled away and stretched out.

"Alright. After words, I'll start child proofing the house. Crap, I'm gonna have to get all sorts of stuff for her. She's tiny but already I can tell she'll probably be a handful." He smiled and scritched her behind the ear, having a grin on his face. "Kind of like you." He commented, sending Karkat flaring.

"Shut your mouth before I stick my crust covered shoe in there!" He growled and sighed. "I'll take her out and then after I'll go grab some groceries. Anything that catches her eye might work out though I can't promise that if she chooses something you don't like, you won't have to eat anything there is. I'll probably bring some more chicken because looks like she's eating through that like the world's ending. Heh." He grinned and kissed John quickly on the cheek before waving bye, heading towards the car. As he walked forward, something felt a bit...off. Nepeta was shivering once again and clinging onto Karkat tightly. He looked down with a frown and pressed her head to his chest with the chicken close by. No help.  
Nepeta was then squirming and whimpering as he came closer to the vehicle, covering her face and trying to push away. What was going on? Was she afraid of cars? Karkat quickly got inside and set everything down to the side. He closed the door and strapped her in, right on his lap and started up the car. When looking down once again, she was covering her face and shaking like a leaf.  
"Nepeta, it's okay. This is a good thing, it's going to help us move around and get you help. This is a car. Stop shivering, you'll be fine." He whispered quietly and pressed his hand on her back, rubbing up and down.

Nepeta slowly came out of hiding and looked up to him, her eyes full of fear as she shook her head quickly.

"B-Bad! Do b-bad things! Hurt others!" She squeaked out and began tugging onto him as if trying to lead him out. Karkat sighed and lifted up her face to see him, resting his other hand onto her head.

"Nepeta, it will not hurt you. The monster is not a monster, it's a good thing to have for getting to places easier." He tried to soothe her with his words, Nepeta looking to the side as if deciding if she should trust him or not. He moved his hands down and held her close. "Nepeta, do you trust me? If you do, you'll calm down and see it's not so bad. Trust me and you'll see it's not as bad as it seems. If you don't..." He shook his head. No, he wasn't going to let it go there. He wouldn't just sit here like a lump and not do anything to help her. She needed a blood transfusion more than anything now and already she looked like she was becoming wearier and tired.  
"Please, trust me." He held her paws in his hands, Nepeta staring down with a tired expression. She stared down for a while and then clutched his hands in her own furry paws.

"Okay..." She whispered and rested her head on him, yawning and shutting her eyes.

"Thank you...just hold on." He smiled and then took off down the road. Now it was a race against time, and a race against death.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Nepeta yawned tiredly as she felt the car take off for her care. Constantly she was jolting awake and licking her sore paw pads. Karkat would hiss at her not too, looking down every few minutes to make sure she was still alive. No matter how much he helped, it wouldn't fix the main problem at hand. At least the food and water kept her warm in the belly and throat clear from sounding like a dying cat. She began constantly squirming around from the uncomfortable strap wrapped around her, standing up to peek out from the window only to fall back down from how fast the world was moving, and trying to get back more chicken. Only one strip left. She could hear Karkat chuckling at her actions and she gave him an angry look.  
He didn't seem to care though, whispering how things would be fine and that all she needed to do was relax. No way, she was too cooped up. There was nothing around to chase or distract her, no animals to hiss at for being too loud, no toys to play with. She huffed and stood up once again, pressing her paws onto the wheel. Even pressing down too hard because at that second, the horn honked.

"Bad!" Nepeta screamed and jumped, falling back into Karkat's lap. She screamed and hid under Karkat once again, Karkat's eyes going wide. Thank god there wasn't anyone in front and he was close to the vet. He pressed his hand onto Nepeta's back as she clung onto his skin.

"Nepeta, it's fine! Don't do that though, that can cause bad things. Before you do something like that just let me know, I know you're curious but sometimes curiosity kill--" He paused and shook his head. "I mean, it'll just get me in trouble. You can come out now." He stopped at the red light ahead and pulled Nepeta out from underneath. She was still shaking and looking up to him for some sort of comfort. Karkat sighed. He had to teach her that all things aren't that bad or else she'd be hiding from her own shadow at this point. He pet her head affectionately and then turned his attention back to the road.  
She sighed happily and leaned back, feeling more and more weary with every passing second. She began to close her eyes slowly, breathing now shallow and raspy. Karkat looked down with wide eyes and began patting her cheeks lightly.

"N-No, Nepeta I need you to stay awake. You can't go to sleep okay? Think about something fun, like playing! We can play when you're done and I'll show you a shit ton of cool things." He spoke up so she could hear him, Nepeta bolting awake. She tried so hard to stay awake but was failing to. She began rubbing her eyes and curling up comfortably. Suddenly, she felt so much better. She couldn't feel how much pain her paws were causing her, she didn't feel so empty now. She purred quietly and ignored Karkat's shakes to wake her, his voice was fading.  
"Nepeta? Hold on okay, we're almost there I swear!" He squeezed her tightly and began speeding up. He didn't care anymore, the place was too close to have her give up on him now. She was loosing too much blood and he didn't want her to die. No, she COULDN'T die! As he saw the veterinary clinic from a ways off. Oh thank god. He sped up faster and looked down to her.

"...Kat..." She whispered and closed her eyes, no longer purring. "S-Scared..." She gulped and turned up to him, her tail lying across her lap now.

"Don't be scared Nepeta, you'll be just fine. I'm not letting you go." He hissed and finally pulled up to the lot. He unbuckled himself quickly and put Nepeta in front of him. "Nepeta, can you hear me? Wake up!" He shouted and held her face, panicking. His heart felt as if it was going miles without a break, it felt in his throat. His eyes went wide with fear as he held her face. She shook her head and crawled back up to him, pressing her head to his chest. There was no more noise, no more whines or little cute whimpers. Her tail didn't move. She fell asleep. That was enough to send Karkat bolting from the car and up the steps to the door.

"Someone get their ass over here!"


	3. Revival and Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will Nepeta live or will she fail to wake again? Karkat's heart is racing while his mind is against the clock, he couldn't deal with this! What will happen to the small girl he had already grown attached to?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for so many reads and likes! I usually try to update towards night since I'm so busy in the mornings so I apologize for that. Currently, I'm going through some stupid thoughts and everything is becoming a bit difficult to understand but that won't stop me from keeping up with the story! Continue to enjoy and always leave comments if you want! I love to read what you all have to say, it'll help for the future :33
> 
> And with that, the third chapter begins~ (๑◕ฺฺܫฺ￩๑ฺ)

"Someone get their ass over here!" 

Karkat shouted with the troll tightly clutched in his arms, not daring to let her go. He wouldn't let her die, there was NO WAY she could die. The area wasn't all that crowded but there were still a few owners with their pets. Over at the counter, the receptionist stared up at him and gasped. She ran over quickly and tried to take Nepeta away immediately but for some reason...he wouldn't let go. He wouldn't let the tiny troll slip away. Was it from fear that she'd stop breathing in that very moment? He couldn't tell but it took one shout from the girl to make him back off. She sighed and told him to come with her, grabbing his arm and rushing off to the back of the front. Her long, brown and wild hair continued to flow to his face. That was gonna make him hack up a hairball...

"What's wrong with her?" She asked, her voice somewhat light but yet filled with concern. She turned down a corner and entered a small work room. She went over and set the troll down on the silver table, immediately checking her wounds and breathing. It was so light and close to slipping away forever. "Come on, you doof! What's wrong with her?" She spoke loud and clear, snapping Karkat away from his thoughts. He seemed to have been staring from the door down at the tiny body. He frowned and came closer with the frown turning to a scowl.

"I found her only and hour ago with bleeding pads that looked more ripped up than a fox's meal! I don't know how long she's been like this but I've tried to keep her awake as long as I could but she passed out as soon as we arrived here. I don't know how far along that blood trail went down the road but you better know how to save her fucking life!" He hissed out to the woman, not meaning for it to sound that rude. He was just worried was all. Karkat wasn't sure how he would live with himself if she just... No. No he couldn't think about that now. He had to help out and try to save her life before it slipped away. The woman snapped back and told him that he could either help or could leave. Karkat growled and gave a look around.  
"What do I need to get?" He asked, the woman giving a grateful nod. There didn't seem to be a lot of helpers around so he was probably the most help she was going to get.

"I need gauze and an IV pack, she'll need a blood transfusion for sure. We need to keep her under the sleeping condition, I'm going to call someone and get them here as quick as I can. If she wakes up, just try to get her to relax. I don't know how much time we got but I hope it will be enough. I...unfortunately can't promise anything though." She went around and grabbed a small tube roll from the cabinets. She pulled out a small wipe from the table and went over, unwrapping Nepeta's messy wrappings and began wiping down her paws. The woman was cleansing them until she noticed Karkat still standing there. She sighed and pointed to the table.  
"The gauze is in there. Just try to wrap to the best you can and stay here for her. If you have any water, of which I see you do, please just pour it out for her. I'll grab some food and set it out for her to eat. Pray that she'll be fine..." She sighed and then continued to clean them, Karkat grabbing the gauze and wrapping them to the best he could. It wasn't...that bad in his opinion. The receptionist left with a sigh and told him she'd be back with a bag and hopefully good news that a vet could come in. Karkat finished up the wraps and began laying out water again before squatting down to get eye level with Nepeta.

"Come on...you're tougher than that, I know you are. You can do it." He whispered and pet her hair, rubbing her ears lightly. Resting on his knees, Karkat crossed his arms on the table and rested his head on them. With a sigh, he turned away to stare at the wall. That was it. He was going to lose probably the closest thing to a child they would get. John and Karkat couldn't get officially married yet and he didn't even want to begin thinking about adoption paperwork. She was special, not just for no paperwork but because she didn't seem to go down from her fight. She was like a little lioness...  
"I believe in you Little Lioness..." He whispered and shut his eyes, waiting for the woman to come back with help.

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A large landscape was placed before her. There was tall grain field spread out before her with trees surrounding the whole area. A tiny pool lay in the middle, filled with many lily pads and tiny fish swimming around. Wait, how did she even know these things? She seemed to have remembered them from...somewhere before. She ran forward to the tiny pond and moved around the pads. What was she searching for? Even she didn't know anymore, she had no idea why her own body was moving without command. Her heart was beating fast as she moved around with the fish, hissing quietly.  
Then something snapped to her attention. She saw her reflection. She was staring down with the same looks but a lighter face, two people standing behind her. Her eyes went wide with her mouth. It was her demon, the clerk from her worst nightmare. Next to him was a face she couldn't recall but for some reason fear spread through out her body. Who was this stranger? Why did he make her feel...funny? Before she could say anything they were dragging her away, her surroundings becoming darker and morbid. No! She had to get away! Nepeta screamed but nothing came out, only silence escaped. She shut her eyes and suddenly she heard a voice...one all too familiar now.

"I believe in you Little Lioness..."

Her eyes slowly fluttered open to find a hand rubbing her hair and a large pile of dark brown hair. A face was staring to the wall, his feelings wavering off to the young girl. Sadness, loss, giving up. She frowned and stretched out, grabbing the dark brown hair and petting it like he did with her.  
"Kat?" She whispered, getting one hell of a reaction. Karkat's eyes flied open as he bolted up to look at her with a thankful smile on his face. He grabbed Nepeta and pulled her close to his chest, pressing into it. She sighed happily and put her paw in his hand. He whispered how things would be okay, she was safe and he wouldn't let anything hurt her. He breathed in her scent and brushed her cheeks with his thumb.

"Kat is right here...there's a nice lady who's going to come back and help you okay? Can you do me a big favor and stay awake? If you do, there will be lots of chicken for you. John's a great cook, he made the chicken you ate before." He lifted up her face to see how she was. Nepeta still felt weary and drowsy, letting out a huge yawn. Karkat let out a nervous laugh and continued to pet her cheeks.

"D-Don't go." She whimpered and held onto him, pressing her cheeks into his hand. He let out a relieved sigh. Did he want her to say that? Could he sense how scared she was for what might happen to her? He must have, he slowly got up and lifted her up to wrap her paws on his shoulders. She stared at him with a small smile on her face, pressing her head under his nose. He laughed a little louder this time and put a hand behind her head.

"I'm not going anywhere...don't get so sleepy okay? You probably took one of the scariest fucking snoozes I've ever seen. I thought I was about to lose you..."

Nepeta pulled back and shook her head, giving a confused look. "Nepeta here!" She squeaked, wondering how in the world he would lose her. She knew she would go to sleep but wake up! It happened with all animals, didn't it? They would just go to sleep for a long time and then bolt right back up for action. Even if they were injured, she knew that they had to be fine.

"Yeah...Nepeta's here." He set her down on the table and pressed a finger to her nose, Nepeta letting out a tiny giggle. "And Karkat is very glad she's here too."

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Thank fucking gods she was still alive. He wasn't a complete failure after all it seemed. After that touching giggle shit moment they had, Karkat began lying Nepeta down again on the table to distract her. She did complain that it was cold and she wanted to be warm but Karkat shook his head, explaining the cool table would help her temperature go down from all the heat she had gotten before. She huffed out to him but agreed, yawning and hugging her tail tightly. Karkat began trying to give her water, Nepeta seemed to be wasting no time with that. She was gulping down water faster than a seagull swarm for fries.  
After a bit of playing, the receptionist returned with an IV and blood bag to help with another woman following behind. She wore giant, round, Harry Potter looking glasses. She had long black hair tied back into a bun with light green eyes shining brightly. Just like John, she had a tad of an overbite but it fit perfectly with the smile she gave Karkat. Why did she give the grumpy stranger one in the first place? Maybe because they actually happened to know one another.

"Karkat?" She perked up, her white coat swinging by her sides. She wore a blue shirt and long tan skirt, going with her sneakers. Karkat couldn't help but smirk at the sight of the lady before him.

"Well I'll be damned, if it isn't Jade Harley. I had no fucking clue you worked here, would have been I nice thing to know considering the situation I'm in. Thanks for telling me now instead of...oh I don't know, two maybe three years ago? Seems accurate. Had you told me sooner that would have made my day a hell of a lot less stressful than it happens to be right now." Jade rolled her eyes and looked over to the table at the small troll. She gasped and placed a hand over her mouth, hiding a giant smile on her face. She instantly walked over and leaned down to her, making Nepeta inch back with a hiss. Karkat walked over from behind and placed his hands on Nepeta's stomach, Nepeta letting her tail rest on his wrist.

"Karkat, when were YOU going to tell me you owned a troll? I had no idea! How old is she? What's your name sweetheart, can you speak?" She helped the receptionist set up the bags and got everything ready, Karkat keeping Nepeta's attention away from the needle that was being stuck on.

"Don't bother Jade, I was just told he hadn't owned the thing for more than a few hours." The receptionist grinned and Jade stared at him, having a small frown fixed on her face.

"Thanks Aradia but I think he should tell me the story. Right now though, I guess that really isn't important. Lets get this going then, shall we?" She sighed and fixed a stray strand that went in front of her face, giving Nepeta a sweet smile. She walked over to the counter and loaded up a computer, heading over to the sink with a razor and cleaning wipe. She asked Karkat to lift Nepeta's face up, he did as so and began nuzzling her nose with his own. Jade found it hard to hold in her squeals but went straight to work, getting some fur off of Nepeta's wrist and wiping it down with the cleansing wipe.  
"Alright Nepeta, you'll feel a small pinch but I swear it'll be over as soon as it comes. Just keep an eye on Karkat and everything will be alrighty." She chirped and giggled with a snort. "She's so cute."

Nepeta continued to look straight up at Karkat with a worried expression, finding it hard not to look down. He whispered things would be fine, pressing his lips to her forehead. He didn't care what Jade had thought about his sudden change, he didn't want Nepeta to freak out.  
"It'll be okay Little Lioness. You're gonna feel hell of a lot better after this. Then we'll get you some yummy food and talk to John okay?" He tried to sound delighted about this thing but she became too curious. The second she looked down to see the needle, the second her eyes dilated.

Well shit...this was not going to be fun.

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It didn't take more than a second to see the needle that was to be lined up along her arm. Nepeta hissed loudly and moved Karkat's hands off her face, swatting it away and leaping off the table. Jade let out a startled scream while Karkat yelled for her to calm down. Her eyes scanned the shuffling feet around her, Nepeta staring then dead ahead at the door. Like she had done this many times before, she ran over and leaped up to the door handle. She pulled down and let the door fly open as she ran for it, ignoring the voices that called her back. Her heart pounded heavily and the gauze was becoming ripped and ruined with every step she took. Her claws became unsheathed as she scratched up anything that got in her path, rushing under chairs and through legs.  
As she came closer and closer to the door, she tripped over her own tail and slid down the tile floor. She let out a yowl and slammed into the wall, feeling dizzy and uncoordinated. Looking around the area, she tried to make her way out. Running closer to the door, she then stopped in her tracks. Outside the door and stuck on the outdoor mat, dang it! She hissed as the voices grew louder, curling up into a tight ball in hopes to blend in with it. No luck, her grey fur stood out from the light brown mat decorated with small flowers. Damn you Welcome mat with your shining colors and warm welcomes.

"Nepeta!" Karkat called out as he turned and saw Nepeta curled up on the door, struggling with her claws. Aradia ran ahead and began trying to unhook Nepeta from her hell, only to be hissed and nearly bit at. He growled and ran up, shooing her away. "Fuck off you dolt, you'll scare her! I'll get her out." He hissed and began bending down to Nepeta, pressing a hand on her back only to see her expression that sent him back. She was pissed beyond everything, baring her fangs at him with a loud hiss. He then stared down at her with horror, probably wondering what had happened to the sweet girl she had met not so long ago. She stared up at him and lashed her tail, not seeming to recognize him anymore as her friend.  
"Nepeta?" He asked and put a finger out. She leaned forward and sniffed it, calming down as she recognized his scent. This was...friend. This was Kat, what the hell was she even doing? Nepeta paused and blinked, looking up to his worried face. What...had she done?

"Kat?"

His expression lightened as the troll spoke his name, Karkat moving over slowly and unhooking her claws carefully. Nepeta shamefully went over and rested her body on his leg with a sniffle. She lifted up his hand and pressed her head on it, Karkat lifting her up and coddling her. He squeezed her tightly and nuzzled her head with his nose. There was nothing to be scared of, he was okay. She didn't hurt him...yet guilt still pang at her heart and gut. This hurt worse than a bee sting. Karkat seemed to have noticed and decided it'd be the best time to distract her.

"Lets try this again, shall we?" He stood up and carried her back, Nepeta staring down at the ground. At least he wasn't mad...for now...

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That was far too concerning now. Nepeta had nearly shred his head off if he didn't calm her down, making him wonder what he had caused for her to act like that. Was it just a natural reflex? He hoped it was so. Walking back and being set back down on the counter, they started once again where they had left off. Karkat continued to keep Nepeta's face lifted up, rubbing her eyes with his thumbs.  
"You're doing so well right now, Nepeta. Take a deep breath and it'll be all over in a flash." He soothed her nerves and watched as she held her breath. Heh, cute. Jade lined up the needle and put the tubes in, Nepeta letting out a squeak. Karkat hushed her and kept her looking up. It'd be over soon. Everything would be okay. Soon, Jade took out the needle but kept the tubes in. She wrapped them down and sighed with relief as the process was finally done.

"There we go! You did such a good job, Nepeta!" Jade smiled and pet her head, Nepeta purring quietly from the pats. Jade pulled Karkat off to the side while Aradia kept Nepeta occupied by teaching her new words. Karkat was practically dragged out the door by her and set off to the side before being poked in the chest. What was worse is that he was actually being talked down to. Hell, she was only taller by an inch but sure enough Jade was very proud of the inch.

"Alright, talk. Where did you get the troll? I know John would never agree to have such a thing, he'd flip from even being asked! Oh my god, did you kidnap her? Karkat, what the hell!" Jade began setting off her words like fireworks, Karkat not having a chance to speak his side before being glared at.

"Okay, first of all fuck you because there is no way in hell I would kidnap. We both know I can't tolerate kids long enough for me to live. Second, I actually did convince your troll crazed half-brother to let us keep her. She was found on the side of the road and I wasn't going to leave her to die. True, it wasn't my intention to run into any trolls today but you know what? I'm really glad I did. She had gone through enough and who knows what she has been dealing with?" Karkat began snapping back, barking like a hell hound. The two did always happen to have snappy arguments but it was mostly over dumb things. This time it wasn't, this was serious.  
Jade sighed and grinned at him.

"Well, that's a huge step for you to take Karkat. I'm kind of proud you did that though, I didn't expect you but I'm glad it was you rather than someone else. How you got John to agree is beyond all of my being but...nice job." She playfully punched him on the shoulder, Karkat giving her a nudge back. She sighed and looked back through the door. "By the looks of it she happens to be about...oh I'd say two by now. I'm quite curious though about the mark on her ear. I didn't get a close enough look at it but I think I've seen it before with another troll. Can I get a closer look to see?" She gave him a questionable look, Karkat nodded to her as they entered the room again. Aradia moving away as Jade walked over to give Nepeta a rub on the head.  
"You were very brave sweetie, I'm sure Kat is very proud of you. I just need to check something though and then we'll get you some food." She chimed sweetly to her and checked her ears, looking at the small tattoo. She took a good look at it, bringing Aradia over as well to see it too. They looked at one another then nodded, parting from Nepeta. Jade asked her to bring over some food, Aradia leaving momentarily while Jade went over to her computer with a wide smile.

"I hope that shit grin you've got means you know where this thing is from." He looked to Nepeta and pet her head, turning to Jade.

"You're in luck I do happen to know this! We've had a few others from the same area. Remember Lalonde?" She smiled and began looking through old photos and information. Karkat nodded in agreement, knowing which one she was talking about. There happened to be two which were surprisingly unrelated. Rose and Roxy, both blondes with two complete different personalities in a weird way. One happened to be a bit more peppy while the other who even though could be silly at times, most prefer to just be a smartass to him. Yet, Karkat both knew them well. Rose was with Kanaya Maryam, his cousin while Roxy was with Jane Crocker of Crocker Corp., John's cousin. Roxy was the one Jade happened to be talking about at the time though.  
"Well just before...you know what, she had a troll as well. He had that same marking that Nepeta has and I'm wondering if they came from the same area. There's only...one weird difference though." She chewed the inside of her cheek and showed the photo. The tattoo was a weird house looking thing, Nepeta's looking like her blood color. The difference was that the other troll's looked golden mixed with fuchsia.

"Maybe they're the same area just with different location? It seems like the best guess unless they have one for each blood color. So what is it? A breeding ground or some other fucked up place?" He asked while Aradia came back in with food for Nepeta.

"Might be...I'll have to look up more and I'm sure she won't want to talk about it. If we can, we'll get Roxy and talk to her about it. Try to get John to talk to Jane about it with her, see if she has any information on this place." Jade sighed and stretched back with a yawn. Karkat nodded and put it down in his notes, looking over to Aradia. She was letting Nepeta mess with her hair as she fixed up the gauze on her paws, her dark cherry colored eyes on full concentration. He let his mind wander and decided something for sure.

He'd find whoever had done this to the two trolls, and make sure they got what they deserved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be slightly boring I must apologize but you will meet a few new characters! There will be silly goofs and Karkat most likely having a heart attack from someone getting a little mischievous >:33 Plus the next one will be super long so get ready for that!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed the longer than usual chapter here!
> 
> (I stayed up way too late to finish this omfg ; - ;)


	4. Some Assistance...Please?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karkat and Nepeta are both relieved to find she'll keep on living, so long as she doesn't scratch up her gauze again. After the hectic scene, its time to get some food! They head out for groceries but things will almost immediately begin to go wrong before they even enter the store!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh shoot, what's this? A new chapter that should have been brought out a long time ago? Whaaaa  
> Sorry that this has been way too long.  
> Thanks for sticking around for a while. I'm going back and forth between this and the Demonstuck fic. Once both of those are done, I will go back to the Ghost one, until all three are complete. Then, I will decide what to do next.

While Karkat and Jade had been talking to one another about Nepeta's tattoo, she actually payed no attention. She let Aradia fix up the gauze and pet her hair. Aradia seemed like a very nice person, she had a really pretty smile. Nepeta would constantly stare at her smile and look to Jade as well. It seemed like the three had much better than what she had...she had silly kitten fangs. Nepeta huffed and slumped on the table, just waiting for this whole thing to be over. They had told her she could move but not leave the table! What fun was that? That was no fun at all in her opinion, just sitting on a cold surface for the next hour and a half. She stared straight at the wall like Karkat had done before, Aradia having left the room during her slumping period to bring back some food.  
She had arrived back with some meat bits, they were little bits of steak from her lunch she was supposed to have. Oh well, it was Nepeta's now. Nepeta perked up in an instant and sat to her feet, staring up at Aradia with wide eyes. She was a bit shocked from how quickly the troll bolted up but she gave a sweet smile to her. Pulling out the bits from the container, she began handing them for Nepeta to eat. She put them in Nepeta's paws and watched as she ate away, even enjoying some bits herself that Nepeta pushed to her. Aradia smiled to her and groomed her tail neatly. The troll stared at the smile once again, tapping her tail in thought. How did she have such a nice smile?

"What seems to be the matter?" She snapped out of her thoughts as Aradia looked to her with a concerned look. Nepeta shook her head and gave a tiny smile for a test. Her little fangs poked out and Aradia stared. Nepeta felt sick to her stomach until Aradia smiled back, poking her nose.  
"You have a nice smile. It's like a cat, actually you kind of look like one! It's cute. You're a special cat." She rubbed her cheek. "You have a lot of stardust on your cheeks and body it seems..." Nepeta perked up.

"S-Stardust?" She whispered and smiled even wider. She wasn't the only one it seems.

"Yes, stardust. You know how stars are scattered around the night sky? It reminds me of that more than anything." She began checking the bags and the tubes, making sure everything was still fine. Then looked over to Jade and Karkat with a smirk.  
"What's up with you two? You've been over there gossiping like it's high school still. Please tell me it isn't, I can't deal with another year of exams." She walked over to join them, leaving Nepeta on the table. She huffed and finished off the last meat bit before looking down the table. It was amazing how she even made it down there before! She was quite proud of herself for doing such a thing in her state. Maybe she could do it again...not really jump on down just see how far she could go! Nepeta grinned and began shuffling on down from the table, looking like those cat posters that always say "Keep hanging on!"  
She held her breath and was hanging on the edge, the tubes tugging back a bit but not enough for them to rip off. Her tail swished down below as if dusting the floor from the nasty particles from whatever animals that had came her before her. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to stretch on out her hind legs to touch the floor. Then she heard Jade bump into something, followed by her footsteps racing over and boosting Nepeta back up. She screamed and slashed around, trying to get whatever had picked her up. That was soon followed by Karkat's voice.

"Nepeta, calm yourself! Holy shit..." He sighed and Nepeta opened her eyes to Jade's face in front of hers and Karkat off to the side. Looking over, she saw Aradia wave goodbye and head out the door. She must be leaving to go back to her job as Jade sighed, agreeing she had to leave as well.

"Stay here with her and I'll be back in...thirty-five minutes. I gotta go see other patients and all." She smiled and waved goodbye while Karkat sighed, rubbing Nepeta's neck.

"You are a shit head for doing that, I hope you know that." He sighed making Nepeta purr happily. He smirked to her, looking at the tubes and gave a look. "Hey Nep, what's up with the mark on the back of your ear? I know you probably don't want to hear that but it could really help out with our situation. See, we have this friend who used to have a troll too and he was a bit older than you are. By a year or two I think...anyways he has the same marking you have except both of yours are different. His was a weird gold and pink kind of color but yours is green. Do you remember anything about where you came from before?" Karkat moved to lean on the table, Nepeta going over and sitting up by his side. She let her legs swing off the edge and began kicking in the air. "I need you to think really hard about this okay. If nothing comes up...that's okay. If you don't want to think about it that's okay too. We just really need to figure this out..."  
He rubbed her ears and made her purr quietly, resting her head on his leg. He sighed and shook his head. "Actually, I think I might be asking too much...shit, sorry Nep. You're probably really fucking tired and I've been going off like it's the end of the world. When we're done here we only need to go one more place before home. I warn you now, it's not the prettiest place. Don't expect Troll Heaven or some shit like that..."

She nuzzled his leg and made him chuckle. He reached his hand down and held her paw, moving his thumb over the fur. "But...it's good enough to go on by. I know it should hopefully be better than the hell hole you crawled out...or technically away from. Trust me though, when we find out who the jackass is and where you came from we're gonna take them down. John will probably be all over this when I tell him...hell, he might even take you to a protest one day. That's where a bunch of people gather around to go against something that they don't like or something they want to stand up for. Sometimes it's really dumb but some have more meaningful things to point out. Like what he goes to, he wants to see you guys as people rather than pets."  
Nepeta looked up to him and got on her hind legs, standing up and reaching out. Karkat stopped his words and looked down only to have her paw placed over his mouth. He rolled his eyes and moved it down. "Alright, I get it. I don't know why you didn't speak up but whatever. Probably just want some quiet time or something like that." Then she began pawing up at him again, Karkat looking confused beyond everything. "What? Something wrong?" He questioned then suddenly a look came on his face as if he understood her intentions. He continued to move her paw back down every time she reached up. "No, you're not playing with my hair. You can play with Aradia's and possibly Jade's but my hair is off limits."

Nepeta frowned and gave an angered hiss, continuing to paw up each time to play with his hair. It was just so fluffy! Aradia's was soft and who knew how Jade's hair was but Karkat's looked so fluffy! They continued going like that for a few minutes until Jade had poked her head in to check up on the two.

"Heya, things going fine in here? I'm just coming in to check up a bit on everything...and what are you two even doing?" She leaned on the door frame and tapped her foot, Karkat looking over with a small frown. Jade snickered and put her hand over her mouth to cover up the smile.

"Well we seem to be playing a little game of "Lets See How Long We Can Go Trying To Touch Karkat's Hair Without Karkat Throwing A Troll Out The Window." He glanced to Nepeta and her tail was puffed up now. All she wanted was the stupid hair! Jade let out a light laugh before shaking her head. "Really, you should join in. You're gonna miss the best fucking part only that there isn't any point to this game! I think because Aradia let her mess with her hair, Nepeta thinks she's the goddamned queen around here." Jade laughed a bit harder before trying to cover herself up.

"Well, maybe I should help her since Karkat is being such a sour puss. Anyways, maybe it's not best to curse around her. You have to remember even though trolls can be highly intelligent doesn't mean they aren't like little kids when they're young. They learn stuff from others their whole lives. Plus, if you got her into a school how do you think she'd act? She doesn't know better until you or John speak, then she thinks that those words are okay to say. I'd be careful Karkat." She warned him, walking inside and checking on the blood bags and tubes.  
"Anyways by the looks of it, you two can be up and out of here in the next fifteen minutes. Well, I gotta head back. Some dog just swallowed two golf balls and...ugh." She shivered and waved goodbye.

Karkat sighed and looked down to Nepeta as her face was scrunched up at him. Hair. Now. He shook his head and finally gave in, leaning down so she could mess with his hair. Yes! She reached up and began messing with his hair, her tail swishing happily in the air.  
"You know better than what she says...I know you do. Right? Jade's worrying over nothing, you know better than anything else. Anyways, how about on the trip for food you can sleep in my lap. You look tired and probably could use it considering what you've been through today. Shit, we'll probably have to get you a car seat later..."

"No!" Nepeta squeaked out making him jump a bit. He moved her paws off his head and held them while looking down at her with a confused expression.

"No, what?" He asked as Nepeta tried crawling onto him, Karkat letting out a silent curse before having the troll get into his arms. She curled up and put her paw on his chest. "Oh, no car seat. You really liked my lap huh?" She shut her eyes closed and Karkat began petting her head with his heart beat going down. "That's okay...I liked having you in my lap anyways."

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He sighed as she was now fully relaxed in his arms, falling asleep with tiny snores. She was so excited before and now everything was winding down to an end. She was curled up in his arms, tail over her fluffy chest and the tubes hanging off. He had to stay close to the stand, not wanting them to fall out. Shit, he'd probably have to get her some clothes considering she had nothing on. True, there were no visible sex organs but he didn't want to have people staring around like he was the worst person for her to be around. That wasn't true at all...he was okay. She didn't know much about that though it seemed, she was just a little kid. Little kid without paper work...well at least that covered adoption. True, they had thought about it before but it kind of shocked him when taking the girl in at the last second. He wasn't sure if that was the heat talking or not but sure enough now they had a little girl to take care of.  
Jade had come back after a bit and checked the tubes. She gave him a nod and he felt bad for this but had to wake up Nepeta. Giving a few nudges, the tiny troll was awake and rubbing her eyes from the light.

"Sorry Nep, but it's time to go. Before we leave, say thank you to Jade and Aradia for being really nice with the food." He whispered and pressed his head against hers as she was set down. Jade came over and began removing the tubes, Karkat keeping the little troll girl distracted long enough for there to be patching up and wrapping her up. It wasn't long before they were good to go, Jade having a smile on her face.

"Thanks Jade, fucking hell...had I known this shit was going to happen today, I would have called you ahead of time and--"

"Karkat, no worries. I'm glad you came when you did though, I think we're one step closer to shutting down that place. Once we do, we'll relocate all of the trolls to safer areas of living so they can roam freely. Afterwords, we'll hopefully get the law on them. Doesn't your cousin's sister help her with that? Maybe we can get Kanaya to talk to Terezi about it and see what she can do. We'd be better with the law on our side after all." Jade nudged him, Karkat having to nod in agreement. Jade did make a point, getting the law to work with them would be better. Kanaya happened to be his worrisome cousin who had been living with her adoptive sister, Terezi. Sure they were both his cousins but one of them acted more like a sister rather than anything else.  
"Anyways, we'll talk about payment later when you have time. I think you should get going anyways, someone looks like they could use the rest. Anyways, remember what I asked about. We need to get to the bottom of this."

Karkat nodded and picked up Nepeta who had already just fallen asleep in his arms. "Don't worry, I won't. Anyways, Nepeta and I both thanks you two a ton. Tell Dave I say hey when you can alright? Smug fucking asshole..." He grumbled at the thought. Jade laughed and nodded, waving goodbye as the two went out the door. He stared straight ahead making his way over, being cautious not to wake up Nepeta. She was finally resting well for once. 

"Karkat!" Aradia hissed over at him, snapping him away from his thoughts. He walked on over with a curious look. Couldn't he just get shit done in peace?  
"Don't look pissed at me for nothing, I'm giving you the ointment for her paw pads. I just saved you an extra trip." She handed him the blue tube to help, Karkat nodding to her and then waving goodbye. He headed straight out the door, covering Nepeta's face from the sunlight shining down. He walked on down to his car, entering in and carefully placing the strap over the both of them. She was curled up tightly and snug in between the strap and his stomach. He sighed and looked down. Well, that was one sweater gone. It was a good one too before...damn. Oh well, no real loss. He got a couple of gains from it.  
He started up the car and began driving out from the clinic, heading down the road for the grocery store. There wasn't a lot of places that allowed trolls to work or buy things so the one he was heading to was probably the only place John let him buy food. Maybe this would be good too, Nepeta would get to see she didn't have to live a fearful life of everything around her. She'd see other trolls and learn from that. It was about nine minutes away after a ten minute drive, then he heard little noises from somewhere. They were squeaks and noises, Karkat keeping his ears open.

"That better not be a fucking mouse in here..." He looked around before noticing a kick to his side. Looking down he saw Nepeta twitching in her sleep, her mouth slightly open for the sounds. Oh, shit she must be having a nightmare or something. He looked up and moved one of his hands to pet her. She continued to twitch like that for a while, making terrified noises that were slowly beginning to worry Karkat. Should he wake her? She needed rest but she sounded in pain. Only a few more minutes...that's all he needed to do. He'd pull up and then wake her up.  
The noises slowly died down as they came up to the store, making him sigh with relief. He looked around for an empty space, finding one at least two lanes down from the doors. He pulled up slowly and unbuckled himself from the car. Karkat slowly began to lift her up and then he saw how tiny she really was. If he just excluded the fact of her tail, she'd be no taller than just right below his knee. Dang, was she the runt of her family? Maybe she was...  
"Nepeta, wake up." He tapped her nose and watched as she slowly awoke again, looking around in confusion.

"J-Jade? Aradia?" She looked around the car as if they were hiding. Maybe she had wanted to say goodbye before? Well, there were always other times.

"We're at the grocery store now. You fell asleep as soon as the tubes were taken out. Don't you feel much better now though? You have all this new blood in you to help you be stronger, it'll make you get better." He gave a smile to her, watching her perk up a bit. There we go, much better. She stretched out her body, putting her paws on his shoulders as he pulled her close. Unlocking the door, getting out with a drowsy troll on his shoulders, and locking up the junk once again he made his way to the front. He listened to her tired sounds of still waking up, wondering if it was a good idea to take her in. She was so tired...and she's had the roughest day out of anyone. Her breath was fading and coming back onto his shoulder as he gave her the slightest nudge. "Hey, do you want a cart to ride in or would you rather sleep on my shoulder?" He asked, preferring that she rode in a cart. If he had to get anything too heavy he didn't want to wake her up from a nap. She needed it. She must have known his thoughts because she moved away and gave a drowsy smile.

"C-Cart." She yawned and stretched out her body. He nodded with a happy buzz in his stomach. As he neared the cart line he suddenly heard a small gasp escape her mouth. Looking down, he saw the tiny girl staring straight ahead at the doors. Stood there was another troll. Was something wrong with them? Then he felt a tiny body fall from his arms. "Nepeta!" He hissed and quickly caught her. Sweet ninja moves. She was squirming and trying to get away, Karkat holding her bad. Shit, she needed to be relaxing! This wasn't going to be good. "Nepeta, calm down! What's going on with you?" He finally got her to settle down as he rested her in the cart, strapping her in and getting to her level. Her tail was puffed out as she stared at him, ears down from his hiss.

"B-Bad..." She pointed over to the door with other trolls, trying to stop herself from leaping out of the cart. "N-Need help!" She squeaked and tugged on his arm with a pout. Oh gods those sad troll eyes. This was no fair. This was cruel. He was being tortured by a fucking toddler. His own toddler too! He shook his head and pet her lightly, giving a reassuring look.

"Nepeta, it's okay. These trolls won't be harmed I promise you. They work here." He got back up and pulled the cart out, heading into the store. It was shocking that she wasn't leaping out or whining how uncomfortable that strap was but she seemed to be in her own world. After all she was so new to the areas around now. He'd have to be sure to make sure she didn't flip out over everything. The store was quite varied on the inside, just like any other supermarket. Aisles up and down filled with multiple foods and items. Shoppers were around, humans and trolls mixed. Some having children with them, others having their partner at side. Thank goodness it wasn't that filled today, that would have made this day a bit more stressful than wanted. Nepeta stared around at the multiple items on the shelves as he went on by, grabbing whatever he thought would have been needed. Actually, they did need more rice... He stopped near the rice and began looking through, not even having his mind trail to whatever the girl was doing.

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What the tiny troll was doing was staring around at the others. Nobody was chasing others around, no troll felt insecure and afraid. They all looked like they were having nice day...she wasn't used to this. She had never seen this before. Some of the trolls were tall with varied tails and horns, some having children with them that looked her age. They seemed much bigger though. Why did she have to be so small? Nepeta huffed and turned her attention to the shelves on her side. There were so many boxes and cans of stuff, filled with colorful pictures and smiling faces. Then one caught her eye. It was a can with yellow pellets on it, a field in the background with a smiling face. She reached as far as her arms could go and grabbed the can, holding it close to her. She sniffed the top and rubbed her face on it. It felt nice. She giggled and hugged it close to her furry chest, noticing Karkat coming back with a bag of white, thin pellets.  
"Kat!" She squeaked and showed her latest catch. "Can!" She chirped and watched him nod. He had a light expression on his face, bright that she knew what it was.

"Nice job, Nep. That's a can of corn, if you want we can get it." He brushed a strand of hair away from her face as she smiled, hugging the can to her chest. Then they started off again down the long strip. She continued messing with the can, rubbing her face on the can for its nice jutted out edges. There was so much to see here, it was all so new! She stared at the ground as it rolled on by, stretching out her hind legs to reach the ground. Nope, not even close. Sigh. As they neared the end of the aisle, they began coming closer to the frozen meats. She blinked in confusion as she felt the area growing cooler around her. Now it was so chilly...She hugged the can tightly to her for some sort of heat source. Karkat looked down to her and put his hand through her arms. Her heart beat was racing from the heat going to her fur, a small smile soon growing on her face.

He chuckled and scratched at her chest, enjoying how soft her fur was even from some of the grime. Then he slowly removed his hand, beginning to go through the meats he thought she'd love. Nepeta frowned for all she had now was a can to keep her warm. Her fangs chattered as her tail curled up, and eyes squeezed shut. Then she heard an angelic voice.

"Hey, are you okay? It is pretty chilly here isn't it?"

Her eyes shot open and looked up to see another troll below her. She had such a pretty, toothy smile. Like shark fangs. Her hair was long and wavy, stardust on her cheeks. She had fuchsia eyes, long orange horns that slowly moved away at the tips. On the side of her face were bright fins, like the glasses on her face. She had a cute little coat and dress on, her finned tail swaying back and forth. God, Nepeta thought she just went the heaven and this is what was greeting her. She was that pretty. Her own mouth dropped open but no words came out, the other troll giggling at her sweet expression. "Here, have my coat! This will keep you warm." She took off her coat and handed it up to Nepeta, wrapping it around her shoulders. Nepeta gulped, her mouth dry with no words reaching out. "My name's Feferi, what's your's?" She asked and Nepeta gulped, finally finding her mind.

"N-Nepeta..." She mumbled. Feferi giggled and watched as Nepeta hugged the coat closer. She tried to say thanks but it came out terribly, making Feferi laugh even more. Then there was another voice coming out from the distance.

"Feferi! Come on, we need to go."

"Coming! Bye, Nepeta. Keep the coat, it suits you!" She giggled and headed off, Nepeta gulped again. Then she heard Karkat's voice, returning back with the meat and a huge grin on his face.

"Well, you won't probably understand this, but I just got one kick ass deal. Trust me, Nep, you'll like these. I got chicken, a steak or two with seasoning packets. Seriously, it's like Christmas here. Now, one packet might be too spicy so we'll wait until you're a bit older for it-" He set the packets in, then seeing that Nepeta had something new on her body. A small coat but it fit perfectly. "Nepeta, where did you get this? Honey, we have clothes we can get you. I mean, it's not bad on you, pretty cute actually. But...no, where did you get that? Nepeta, you didn't take it from another cart did you?" He got down to her face, noticing a slight tint of olive to her cheeks. Nepeta felt warm and fuzzy inside, rubbing her cheeks and shaking her head. "Okay...did someone talk to you? Nepeta, you shouldn't talk to strangers." He hissed, soon checking for her temperature. Yet, she wasn't sick it seemed.

"F-..." She tried to speak and then went quiet again. Karkat began rubbing her face and back, trying to ease her into speaking up again. "F-Feferi..." She mumbled, then saying the name louder. Nepeta searched and saw the troll walking with a human, pointing at her. "F-Feferi..."

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Okay, why Nepeta would even think about talking to a stranger made him worried. He had so much to teach her. How to speak, what to do in situations, this would be a mess. Once he found where she had gotten the coat, he wasted no time zooming with the cart to return it. He caught up to the troll and saw her owner. It was a short woman, black short hair like John had and another set of blue eyes. Her skin was dark and her body plump, plush. She had a pair of red glasses on her face and a nice light blue outfit on her body. She was scanning the shelves in search of something when he got to her. "Excuse me, ma'am? I think this coat belongs to your girl." He took the coat and handed it out, the woman looking up to him and nodding.

"Oh yes! Thank you, for trying to return it, but Feferi insisted your's had it." She smiled and looked to see Nepeta, smiling down at Feferi. "Is that her? Well isn't she just as sweet as a pie!" The woman walked over and smiled to Nepeta. "Feferi told me she gave the coat to you because you were cold. Why, it's just so nice of you to try and return it." Then turning to Karkat. "I'm sorry, my name's Jane. My little one here is Feferi." She patted Feferi's hair as she stood in front of Jane. "You must be Nepeta's guardian I assume? It's nice to meet you!" She held out her hand and shook Karkat's. "Really though, your baby can have it. It is chilly in here and for her type, it seems she needs it a lot more." She giggled, Karkat was in fucking shock.  
Different types? He'd only known about one really, looking down to see Feferi's fins. Well this was some new news.

"Thank you, really. I don't know the first thing about this. I only got her just a bit ago..." He rubbed the back of his neck, Jane becoming more interested. He bent down to Feferi and pet her head. "It was really nice of you to help out, Feferi. Thank you for giving Nepeta your coat, you're a sweet young lady." He stood back up. "Um, speaking of which...can you maybe tell me a bit more about this? My boyfriend probably knows a bunch more about trolls but I'm next to nothing. We just got her...well saved her more so." Once Jane asked, he explained their situation, and Jane smiled.

"Well I'd be more than happy to help you! Here's my number." She took out a piece of paper and handed it to Karkat. A business card. "Give me a call when you can, and I can help you the best I can. I can recommend a good school for her and help you find places that'll suit your situations. Please, don't hesitate to call me anytime, I'm almost always free. Besides, I'm sure your girl would love a playmate, Feferi would be more than thrilled too. Look at them." They both glanced over to Nepeta and Feferi, the two giggling and having fun with one another. Feferi gave Nepeta her glasses to put on, smiling widely up to her.

"Thank you, so...so much. Really, this actually means a lot." Karkat smiled and thanked Jane a thousand times before watching the two wave off. Karkat grinned and looked down, smiling at Nepeta's happy expression. "Don't worry...we're gonna make you have the best home possible. Come on, let's get home so you can see your new place! You'll love it." He rubbed her cheeks with his nose, getting a happy little laugh that made his heart melt. He hadn't had her for only a few hours and he was already in love with everything she did. Sure, he couldn't tolerate regular kids for the life of him but...maybe Nepeta was changing him. Nepeta was different and special.  
The drive home wasn't bad at all, calling John to help him with groceries as Nepeta fell asleep in his lap. He explained Jane's help and John was beyond thrilled about the news. Once they arrived at the apartments, Karkat quietly moved to keep Nepeta asleep. John came out to help and bring things in, whispering how he proofed the house and got some small clothes in the mean time for her. Karkat slowly walked up the stairs and inside their apartment, nudging Nepeta gently. "Hey, Nep."

Nepeta mumbled in her sleep but then slowly awoke with bright eyes, her tail flicking as she looked around with a confused face. "Kat?" She looked up and wondered where they were.

He chuckled and brushed through her hair. "Yep...Kat's here. So is John...and we're home."


End file.
